After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

As the light gradually dimmed, it suddenly turned from orange to pure white.

The process was so natural and rapid that it is difficult to accurately describe exactly at which moment the sky changed its appearance.

The temperature remained unchanged; only when the branches rustled and the wind sent a chill down my neck did I realize that this furnace of heaven and earth had finally cooled down.

Qin Yuanyao focused her gaze upon this feeling.

I walked along the fence.

The Ning family compound is located on a hillside to the north, and the terrain is not very high.

It is less than two zhang above the Lijiacun Avenue below, and the slope is not steep, about five zhang long.

The female commander had a very thin profile, and her black outfit was extremely form-fitting. She walked steadily down the slope while slightly biting her cheek.

The wild grass on both sides was lush, and her face remained calm, but her heart was still pounding wildly.

"Prince Xin is engaged... and it's even highly likely that he has had intimate relations with this Young Master Ning..."

This earth-shattering news had fallen into her hands, and she couldn't help but purse her lips, feeling a slight headache.

This young man surnamed Ning is called "Young Master," but that's just a flattering title. I heard he wrote a few poems in a brothel, so I'm just going to call him that. In reality, he probably can't even be called a scholar.

He had no official rank or mentor; he was just a country boy.

To everyone's astonishment, Prince Xin was engaged to such a country boy.

When he ran to see Prince Xin, the prince was watching a play at the foot of Yaoshan Mountain with that widow Ning.

He ordered someone to invite the King of Xin out, and anxiously sought confirmation of the matter.

Prince Xin nodded, admitting it directly. She gasped in shock.

If this young man surnamed Ning were to make a request as the person who saved Prince Xin's life, he would politely refuse, since Prince Xin had previously stated that the other party should remain uninvolved.

However, since the other party made the request as Prince Xin's fiancé, he had no choice but to leave it to Prince Xin to decide.

Prince Xin gave her three questions to ask the other party. In fact, regardless of the answers, His Highness intended for this young man, who was also her fiancé, to take charge of the matter.

"If he wants to do these things, he will definitely do them. Even if you don't let him, he might still do them alone... He likes adventure, it's very dangerous, and he's also sensitive and suspicious. If you don't ask him a few questions, he'll start to suspect you later." Prince Xin also had a slight headache at the time.

"Let's just leave it all to him... Hmm, that's settled then." Prince Xin made the final, easy decision.

The female commander walked to the bottom of the slope, turned her feet towards the direction of Sanjin's house to the east, and slowly exhaled.

I wonder what His Majesty's decision will be... This morning, I wrote a secret document about His Highness's marriage and the matter concerning this young man, and sent it back to the capital by express courier. If all goes well, we should receive His Majesty's message tomorrow morning, or even tonight.

As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, loyalty to the emperor was her top priority. She accepted Prince Xin's request with the mindset of "if the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die," and put this young man surnamed Ning in charge.

We walked slowly along the gurgling Erhu River.

Sanjin's house was about two miles away from Ning's house. When he walked out of the courtyard, he bumped into a boy who looked about twelve or thirteen years old jumping out of the gate, his face still flushed.

Her eyes narrowed.

Li Xing's face stiffened. He met the woman's gaze for a moment, then instinctively shrank back.

He knew this woman seemed to be Old Xu's boss, but for some reason, the moment he saw her, he felt she was incredibly terrifying.

It's not the kind of terror you feel when you see your mother; it's the kind of terror you feel when you encounter a lone wolf in the mountains.

"My older brother sent me!" he said, mustering his courage.

Qin Yuanyao, wearing cloud-patterned shoes, remained silent, then turned to make way for the other person.

Li Xing quietly exhaled, took a few slow steps, passed Qin Yuanyao by several body lengths, then quickened his pace and ran off in a flash.

The female commander frowned as she watched the young man's hurried departure.

This is also one of the reasons why he felt that Young Master Ning was not a "young master".

Ning the Demon, the Rolling Tiger, who chased after others to chop at the age of ten, always ready to use a knife, who threatened Master Li with a knife, who often argued with the village head, who bullied those who were good at studying, who had several followers, a big rascal, and who was extremely fierce... This is some information about Prince Xin's fiancé that she had collected, piecemeal, and has already been reported.

A country rogue... that's roughly the image I get from the villagers.

But when asked how exactly Ning the Demon had bullied you, the other person stammered, frowned, thought for a moment, and, without an answer, feigned fear, saying, "Even Master Li and the village head are afraid of Ning!"

What puzzled Qin Yuanyao even more than these were the few things the other party had asked her to do that morning.

The points are clearly organized, and each one hits the nail on the head.

Logically, someone in such a position, eager for advancement, should be more impatient and opportunistic. However, the other party's actions seem extremely upright and dignified, with a sense of unhurriedness and the kind of skill that comes with valor but not ostentatious achievements. It seems that the other party wants to build a grand and imposing presence to intimidate others.

Military strategy says, "Use the orthodox to engage, and the unorthodox to win." The orders given by the other side this morning gave her a feeling of "orthodox engagement."

"How could a country boy possess such skills and knowledge?"

Hmm... Of course... Talk is cheap, and actions are another matter. If the other party's approach is ineffective, it's probably just another form of blindly imitating others. They're trying to emulate military strategists, but they only get the form, not the spirit.

With unresolved doubts and a mix of expectations and questions, he entered the courtyard and was greeted by Xu Qing, who had a serious expression on his face. "Sir," he said in a low voice, handing over a stack of papers.

The female commander collected her thoughts, took the paper, glanced at it, and seemed to have not seen it clearly. She brought the paper closer, her eyes changed, and her expression froze.

The paper was covered in text, but I couldn't quite understand some of it.

"Sir, you have to look at it horizontally, from left to right."

Old Xu said softly, "Young Master Ning said this is called simplified characters."

...

...

After dinner.

The old woman smiled and said, "Cui Cui is tired. I'll go wash the dishes. I'll cook tomorrow."

But Cui Cui still went to help boil water.

With the two women absent, Ning Nan adopted the air of the head of the household, sat at the head of the table, and gave each of Er Laizi and San Zhuang ten taels of silver, instructing them to hire a few day laborers to help with the household chores and to make preparations in the next few days.

A glint of cunning flashed in Er Laizi's eyes. He stood up and said, "I only want to do big things, not money!"

Ning Nan said irritably, "This is for hiring a day laborer for your father!"

San Zhuang happily put it away, saying he would make a hairpin for his sister as part of her dowry when he got back.

Xingge watched longingly.

Ning Nan smiled and gave him five taels of silver, which Xing Ge'er treasured.

"Take the money, go to the village tomorrow and find some children. Dig up some clay from downstream and wet areas, the sticky kind, not dry... Don't be stingy with the money, give them a share."

"Be careful, find good swimmers... You're responsible for their safety... I'll give you five taels after it's done."

Li Xing exclaimed in surprise, "Big brother! I'm twelve years old!"

Still playing in the dirt?!

Ning Nan tapped his head: "This is serious business." Now that the map and guide are in place, he needs a precise sand table.